Articles by Kelly Blokdijk...

On the way home from the diversity career fair, while writing job ads for the diversity publications, hiring the diversity consultants — while taking those positive steps forward you may, meanwhile, be doing things that cause you to take two steps back.

In response to that topic as an answer, a Jeopardy contestant’s correct question to host Alex Trebek would be: “What is the worst way to acknowledge an employee referral?” Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of the phrase “tell ‘em to apply online” probably yelled: Wrong Answer! keep reading…

Many employers place critical talent acquisition responsibilities into the hands of ill-equipped and oftentimes unprofessional individuals who step on fingers of those perceived to be on lower rungs of the ladder. They do this without considering the future ramifications of not having a bridge back the other way. Perhaps these employers feel that they have nothing to lose with their lack of compassion and disregard for those expressing interest in joining their firms.

Usually what tends to happen is that an employee leaves the organization or someone decides that some new work must get done and it is time to expand the staff. Next, a haphazard job description is located from a previous opening or a new list of requirements is jotted down and hastily slapped up on the job board of choice.

Taking the time to examine which competencies and characteristics will enable achievement of corporate goals, rather than just refilling a vacant chair with a clone of the prior occupant is rarely done. Inevitably, resumes of predominantly unqualified applicants begin to pour in by the hundreds, leaving the recruiter frustrated and overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the hiring manager is eagerly awaiting some action and attention.

If lucky, some highly skilled impressive folks turn up in the pile and are immediately passed through an initial screening. They may move on through additional steps, meeting with various influencers and decision-makers. Ultimately, after anywhere from several weeks to several months of this going on, a selection is finally made and an offer is extended and accepted.

While there may be nothing particularly noteworthy in that oversimplified depiction, the main point of this article is the opinions being formed from the candidates’ perspectives. For a number of years, I’ve worked one-on-one with job seekers of all levels — mostly experienced, educated, mid/senior level professionals from various industries — to assist them in preparing for their next opportunity. In doing so, I’ve collected countless anecdotes and what some may refer to as horror stories.

For mysterious reasons, these experiences don’t seem to faze the people on the other end of the transaction. For brevity, these are condensed down to the basic situation without the full contextual reference points. These samples leave no doubt that employers are missing opportunities to build relationships with their target audience, potential customers, and most importantly brand ambassadors. keep reading…